Review: LOUISA MAY ALCOTT'S LITTLE WOMEN at Guthrie Theater

Yet another adaptation of a literary classic has arrived on the Guthrie stage, this time in the form of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. A story known to so many whether it be from actually reading the original novel, seeing one of the many film and television adaptations, or even the highly successful Broadway musical adaptation starring the incomparable Sutton Foster. No matter where you have seen it, you most likely haven’t seen it in this form.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Jo March dreams of success beyond her 1860’s Massachusetts home where she lives with her mother and three sisters while their father is away at war. Attempting to navigate their world of love, loss, and longing, the March family must come to terms with their changing circumstances and evolving relationships as they attempt to forge their own paths while trying to maintain the bonds that they have come to cherish so deeply.

Newly co-commissioned by four regional theaters: City Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, People’s Light and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and authored by Lauren M. Gundersen, this iteration takes a different approach to the story. Instead of being a direct page-to-stage adaptation, Gundersen has leaned into the fact that Little Women is considered a autobiographical piece, as Louisa May Alcott has confessed. Centering Louisa, or Lou as we come to know her, as the protagonist telling the story we all know. Casting her sisters and other family members as the characters that surround her. Placing herself as foundation of the family, the beloved heroin Jo, the audience sees how the lives of the March family were through Alcott’s own eyes.

Gunderson has mastered the text and given the audience a new perspective on who Jo is and what success would mean for her and her family. Artfully incorporating the narration of the story into the dialogue, we are served with the inner thoughts of the characters, a luxury that is usually reserved for staying on the page. It is in these moments that we can experience exactly what these characters are feeling right alongside them.

It is especially poignant when we are taken on a roller coaster ride of emotion at times when sheer elation and joy turns to sorrow and disappointment in a moment’s time. While the ending is satisfying, the journey to get there is filled with hardship which only helps to hit home that this isn’t a fairy tale but an account of how life can deal us just as much bad as it does good.

Understanding the story being told and how to bring it to life, director Jackson Gay makes her debut at the Guthrie with a flourish. Her use of spacial distance between the actors throughout highlights that even when they may be in the same room, they can feel separated by the emotions they are feeling.

The inhabitants of this world are a collection of unique, quirky, and brash women who are played to perfection by a cast of remarkable ladies. Lead by the dynamic Isabella Star LaBlanc, a star of HBO’s True Detective: Night Country, who illuminates the stage at every turn. Her ability to navigate the multiple layer’s of Jo March is a wonder to watch. Whether she is trying to be the “tough guy” to stave off her gentleman callers’ advances or gentle and kind with her beloved sister Beth, brought to life by the heartbreaking May Heinecke, Jo always feels approachable, even when she wishes she weren’t.

Not to be missed, Stephanie Anne Bertumen and Audrey Parker turn in worthy performances as Meg and Amy, the remaining two March sisters, who bring an air of elegance and mania, respectfully, to the piece which rounds out the quartet nicely.

While the play may focus on the women, they are joined on the journey of life by the dashing and utterly over the top (complimentary) Laurie, portrayed by Daniel Petzold who for better or worse is utterly insane in this role. His charm and exuberance is on full display the entire performance but Petzold never lets it get out of hand to the point of being annoying or obnoxious. If anything, he is so goofy that he becomes endearing and allows us to fall for him, just as the characters of the piece do. He is at his best when sharing the stage with Star LaBlanc as they have a chemistry that is infectious to watch blossom throughout the show.

Speaking of blossoming, it would be a miss to not celebrate the incredible scenic design that Junghyun Georgia Lee has created. The stage has been fully transformed to be a mossy landscape. Filling the space with household items like a couch, a piano, and trunks, it feels as though the house has faded away and left the March family belongings to waste away on their own over time. The ground has remnants of stone and it feels as though nature has overtaken the space. Perhaps a metaphor that even when we are gone our possessions stay behind to waste away and become one with the world again. Whether it has a deeper meaning or not, it is a beautiful sight to see throughout the piece. It is even more of a joy to marvel at when paired with the gorgeous lighting by Paul Whitaker. His use of blues and yellows throughout paint a beautiful picture to set the scenes.

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